"It’s healing up really nice," said Joan Fusek, Princess Fatty's human. "Our vet called us and said, 'You know, does someone hate pets? Someone shot her with a BB pellet.”

Fatty might have been lucky.

No one has seen Jo Jo, another of Fusek's cats, since August 20.

And she's not alone.

"Suddenly we started noticing, because I’m really aware of our animals around the neighborhood, even our neighbors and I started seeing there’s cats missing," Fusek said. "We just wanna get the word out that someone in the neighborhood is harming these cats and it’s just not OK.”

Fusek lives on Cherry Street, a cul-de-sac off 9th Street.

When a news crew visited the neighborhood Thursday, a Linn County Sheriff's Deputy was just leaving the neighborhood.

“Before you call the cops on me again, you better come talk to me again," Randy Turner said the Fusek as a camera filmed. "That’s not right.

"I’ve got a dog. I love animals," he added. "I did not shoot your cat!”

Turner said he has had problems with the cats.

"They pee all over the carport. I’ve got a brand new barbecue on my deck, it's never been outside, it's all rusted from cat pee," he said. “I don’t think that they should be allowed to run free in the neighborhood. I think there should be laws for cats just like there is for dogs. I really do. I think they should all be licensed and pay a fee for them.”

Turner said he would consider legally live trapping cats in his yard but wouldn't hurt the animals.